I wonder how many of us have stuck to our new year’s resolutions? Given up that midweek tipple, cut down on fatty carbs or taken up zumba. Whether you made a new year’s pledge or not there is one activity I would encourage everyone to try their hand at in 2018 and that is saving water, and thereby saving money, while also helping to protect the environment.

That’s odd, I hear you say. Why would someone from a water company be asking us to use less water? The answer is simple. Firstly, we fully recognise that the cost of water and wastewater services is a concern for many people. Water poverty and water debt are in no-one’s best interest and we continue to offer a range of support measures to help those who genuinely struggle to pay, including advice on ways to save water.

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Secondly and equally important, the environment. Water is a finite resource and it is both costly and energy-intensive to collect, treat and distribute it, especially in a hilly and dispersed region such as ours. Just remember that every time you flush the loo, run the washing machine, rinse out the sink or bath, or wash the car you are disposing of water that has been treated to very high standards for human consumption (unless of course you are recycling your own water, in which case I applaud you). We can all reduce our environmental impact by using that little bit less. Not leaving the tap on unnecessarily is just the start.

South West Water is currently preparing its Business Plan for the 2020-25 period (the proposals will be published for consultation in March) and as part of that planning process we have been looking at new and innovative ways to improve water efficiency. Last year we piloted the ‘Green Redeem’ scheme in which a community in Exeter was incentivised to save water. If the whole community’s monthly consumption was maintained below the historic average they would receive points that could be converted into vouchers to spend in local businesses, donate points to the local school or enter into prize draws.

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We have also been working with social housing providers to address affordability issues and expanded the support measures available to those on low incomes. A key part of this is supporting water-saving behaviour and offering to install water-saving devices within the home. We are also working to promote the benefits of metering, which is shown to help reduce water usage and costs through the increased awareness of how much is being used.

Regardless of your circumstances, we can all benefit our wallets and the environment by using water a bit more wisely. Turn off that tap. Install a more efficient shower head or a toilet ‘Hippo’. Get a water butt for the garden. The list goes on and, importantly, help is available. South West Water has a range of hints and tips online, including sign-up for free water saving kits and a water calculator to show how much you can save.

Water is precious. Let’s do all we can to make every drop count in 2018.